智慧的益處
1孩子啊,
你若接受我的教誨,
珍愛我的誡命,
2側耳聆聽智慧,
傾心渴慕悟性;
3你若呼求洞見,
高聲尋求悟性,
4尋它如尋銀子,
找它如找寶藏,
5你就會懂得敬畏耶和華,
能夠認識上帝。
6因為耶和華賜人智慧,
知識和悟性出自祂的口。
7祂使正直人充滿智慧,
是行為純全者的盾牌。
8祂看守正義之路,
護衛虔誠人的道。
9這樣,你就明白何為仁義、
公平、正直,
及一切美善之道。
10因為智慧必進入你心,
知識必令你的靈歡樂。
11明辨力必護佑你,
悟性必看顧你。
12智慧必救你遠離惡道,
脫離言語荒謬的人。
13他們捨棄正道,走上黑路,
14以行惡為樂,喜愛惡人的邪僻;
15他們的道路歪邪,行徑扭曲。
16智慧要救你脫離淫婦,
脫離花言巧語的妓女。
17她撇棄了年輕時的丈夫,
忘了在上帝面前立的約。
18她的家通向死亡,
她的路直達陰間。
19到她那裡的人都有去無回,
找不到生命之道。
20所以你要行善人的路,
守義人的道。
21因為在地上,
正直人必安居,
純全無過的人必長存,
22地上的惡人必被剷除,
世上的奸徒必被根除。
Moral Benefits of Wisdom
1My son, if you accept my words
and store up my commands within you,
2turning your ear to wisdom
and applying your heart to understanding—
3indeed, if you call out for insight
and cry aloud for understanding,
4and if you look for it as for silver
and search for it as for hidden treasure,
5then you will understand the fear of the Lord
and find the knowledge of God.
6For the Lord gives wisdom;
from his mouth come knowledge and understanding.
7He holds success in store for the upright,
he is a shield to those whose walk is blameless,
8for he guards the course of the just
and protects the way of his faithful ones.
9Then you will understand what is right and just
and fair—every good path.
10For wisdom will enter your heart,
and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul.
11Discretion will protect you,
and understanding will guard you.
12Wisdom will save you from the ways of wicked men,
from men whose words are perverse,
13who have left the straight paths
to walk in dark ways,
14who delight in doing wrong
and rejoice in the perverseness of evil,
15whose paths are crooked
and who are devious in their ways.
16Wisdom will save you also from the adulterous woman,
from the wayward woman with her seductive words,
17who has left the partner of her youth
and ignored the covenant she made before God.2:17 Or covenant of her God
18Surely her house leads down to death
and her paths to the spirits of the dead.
19None who go to her return
or attain the paths of life.
20Thus you will walk in the ways of the good
and keep to the paths of the righteous.
21For the upright will live in the land,
and the blameless will remain in it;
22but the wicked will be cut off from the land,
and the unfaithful will be torn from it.